+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE. - Volume 10, Issue 28, January 4, 2013. An email newsletter to distribute news and information about web design and development. ++ISSUE 28 CONTENTS. SECTION ONE: New references. What's new at the Web Design Reference site? http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/ New links in these categories: 01: ACCESSIBILITY. 02: EVALUATION & TESTING. 03: EVENTS. 04: JAVASCRIPT. 05: MISCELLANEOUS. 06: TYPOGRAPHY. 07: USABILITY. SECTION TWO: 08: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site? [Contents ends.] ++ SECTION ONE: New references. +01: ACCESSIBILITY. Headings: Who needs 'em? By Roger Hudson. "This is a story about web page headings and sub-headings: A story that tries to look beyond the absurd distinctions that are sometimes made about the usability and accessibility of web content, to ask who needs headings and why..." http://usability.com.au/2013/01/headings-who-needs-em/ Touch Accessibility for the Blind and Visually Impaired By University of Minnesota Duluth. "Due to advances in screen reader technology, voice controls, gesture functionality, and add-on applications some touch devices offer an inclusive experience for the blind and visually impaired..." http://blog.lib.umn.edu/itsshelp/news/2013/01/touch-accessibility-for-the-blind-and-visually-impaired.html Trials of iPads as Assistive Technologies By Denise Wood. "Through funding support provided by Telstra Australia we have been undertaking research into the efficacy of mainstream devices such as iPads as assistive technologies over the last few months. The aim of the research is to provide empirical evidence of the impact of the use of such mainstream technologies on the attainment of the participation goals of 10 adults with varying physical disabilities and communication needs..." http://denisewood.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/trials-of-ipads-as-assistive-technologies/ PDF/UA and Skipped Headings By Ted Page. "In July 2012 the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published its first ever PDF accessibility standard, ISO 14289-1, otherwise known as PDF/UA. The publication of PDF/UA is in many respects a welcome step forward. However, this article will look at its prescriptions for headings which, it will be argued, are problematical..." http://www.pws-ltd.com/sections/articles/2012/pdf-ua-and-headings.html NVDA and PDF Table Accessibility By Ted Page. "It's no exaggeration to say that the recently released NVDA upgrade is a huge step forward for PDF accessibility. With respect to tables, NVDA now matches JAWS in almost every way that matters, and in some respects it is significantly better. NVDA is now a realistic alternative to JAWS..." http://www.pws-ltd.com/sections/articles/2012/nvda-pdf-table-accessibility.html One Accomplishment, One Resolution By Terrill Thompson. "I'm one of those people who finds the final week of a calendar year to be a good time to reflect on the waning year and make plans for the waxing one. Being just one person in a world of 7 billion, I'll keep this post short and highlight just one accomplishment from 2012 and offer one resolution for 2013..." http://terrillthompson.com/blog/331 Web Axe 2012 Year in Review By Dennis Lembree. It was another great year for Web Axe and its creator Dennis Lembree. http://www.webaxe.org/web-axe-2012-year-in-review/ 5 Easy Steps To ADA & Section 508 Web Accessibility By Word of Mouth Media. "Are you ADA & Section 508 Compliant? Netflix is...almost: they have, per legal ruling, agreed to make closed captions available for members, for all of their videos, by 2014. Such accessibility requirements used to be strictly reserved for governmental entities, and technically it still is in the U.S. However, Netflix's new business M.O. has set a legal precedent that should put all online content professionals on alert-most especially elearning businesses and those that transact with educational organizations or initiatives..." http://www.voiceyourmedia.com/5-easy-steps-to-ada-section-508-web-accessibility/ A Clear EU Accessibility Law Proposed? At What Cost? By Hassell Inclusion. "Early this month the European Commission issued a proposal for a directive on 'Accessibility of Public Sector Bodies' Websites' (link opens a PDF)..." http://www.hassellinclusion.com/2012/12/clear-eu-accessibility-law/ +02: EVALUATION & TESTING. 6 Must-See Usability Testing Videos By Tomer Sharon. "Usability testing. Some people love it, some hate it, many don't get it. Personally, I think they are the best thing anyone can do to learn from their users. In the same time, they are emotionally exhausting for moderators. Here are 6 usability testing videos I love. Four serious ones, two not so much." http://blog.usabilla.com/7-must-see-usability-testing-videos/ +03: EVENTS. W4a 2013 - 21th International World Wide Web Conference May 13-15, 2013. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil http://www.w4a.info/2013/ AHEAD 2013 July 8-13, 2013. Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. http://www.ahead.org/conferences/2013-cfp +04: JAVASCRIPT. Accessibility in Modern Interfaces By James Edwards. "Some of the things being done with JavaScript today are truly amazing. The Internet itself is still young, yet it's been through several evolutions in its short history - most significantly perhaps, is the explosion of incredible Web applications that came in the wake of AJAX. There was a loser though, and that was accessibility. But, now we've reached a point where accessibility is catching up, thanks to the development of the Web Accessibility Initiative's Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI ARIA)..." http://jspro.com/raw-javascript/accessibility-in-modern-interfaces/ How Browsers Interact with Screen Readers and Where ARIA Fits in the Mix By Bryan Garaventa. "The differing behaviors of screen readers across various browsers are noticed all the time by screen reader users, and differing levels of ARIA support are noticed in a similar manner, but the reasons why this happens arenŐt commonly understood by the majority of people..." https://www.ssbbartgroup.com/blog/2013/01/02/how-browsers-interact-with-screen-readers-and-where-aria-fits-in-the-mix/ Object-Orientation and Inheritance in JavaScript: A Comprehensive Explanation By Manuel Kiessling. "...The good news is that [Object-orientation and inheritance in JavaScript is] actually quite simple, but the bad news is that it works completely different than object-orientation in languages like C++, Java, Ruby, Python or PHP, making it not-quite-so simple to understand..." http://manuel.kiessling.net/2012/03/23/object-orientation-and-inheritance-in-javascript-a-comprehensive-explanation/ +05: MISCELLANEOUS. Responsible Web Design By Matt Mehlhope. "As web designers and developers, we carry the heavy burden of ensuring that content is delivered to an incredibly heterogenius audience - internet-enabled devices. These devices come in different shapes, sizes, and capacities. Regardless of their capabilities each device platform deserves the same level of respect, something that we have not historically given each equally. While responsive and adaptive web design have become buzz words in the industry, they are simply emblematic of our need to design responsibly - for all users and devices - rather than for the capable few..." http://mehlhope.net/responsible-web-design 10 Rules of Minimalist Design By Brian Morris. "These rules are not absolute, but rather guidelines to get you started. Don't be afraid to take risks with your design. Doing so will undoubtedly reveal cool new ways to craft a compelling design that achieves its goal..." http://www.webteacher.ws/2012/12/31/10-rules-of-minimalist-design/ 5 Tips for Responsive Builds By David Bushell. "If design and content strategy stops when the build phase starts it's time to rethink your process. The role of a modern front-end developer goes beyond following pre-defined blueprints. An iterative, agile-like approach is vital to account for responsive design challenges that inevitably arise as a website takes shape..." http://dbushell.com/2013/01/01/five-tips-for-responsive-builds/ 10 Web Predictions for 2013 By Craig Buckler "Happy New Year! 2013 has arrived and, while we may not have hover boards or day trips to the moon, technology and the web is evolving faster than ever..." http://www.sitepoint.com/2013-web-predictions/ +06: TYPOGRAPHY. Text Size and Screen Ratios By Alastair Campbell. "...overall, I agree with the conclusion of the Alistapart article. However, the iPad mini has roughly the same CSS pixels per inch as similar devices like the Nexus 7, so perhaps they all need to decrease their viewport width?" http://alastairc.ac/2012/12/text-size-and-screen-rations/ +07: USABILITY. Page Weight Matters By Chris Zacharias. "...Many of us are fortunate to live in high bandwidth regions, but there are still large portions of the world that do not. By keeping your client side code small and lightweight, you can literally open your product up to new markets." http://blog.chriszacharias.com/page-weight-matters Five Big UX Topics in 2012 By Catalyst Group. ""For years, UX professionals have vigorously lobbied for a "seat at the table" when it comes to formative decisions about products and product development. Looking back at 2012, trends indicate that this wish is becoming reality. Many leading UX consultants reported that their clients are more open to research and design methods with a UX focus than they have been in the past. This elevated focus on UX ideas and concepts will require informed engagement with several high-level topics that emerged in 2012. This article discusses five of the themes that we expect will have relevance into 2013..." http://boxesandarrows.com/five-big-ux-topics-in-2012/ [Section one ends.] ++ SECTION TWO: +08: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site? Accessibility Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/accessibility.html Association Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/associations.html Book Listings. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/books.html Cascading Style Sheets Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/css.html Color Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/color.html Dreamweaver Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/dreamweaver.html Evaluation & Testing Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/testing.html Event Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/events.html Flash Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/flash.html Information Architecture Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/architecture.html JavaScript Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/javascript.html Miscellaneous Web Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/misc.html Navigation Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/navigation.html PHP Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/php.html Sites & Blogs Listing. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/sites.html Standards, Guidelines & Pattern Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/standards.html Tool Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/tools.html Typography Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/type.html Usability Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/usability.html XML Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/xml.html [Section two ends.] ++END NOTES. + SUBSCRIPTION INFO. WEB DESIGN UPDATE is available by subscription. For information on how to subscribe and unsubscribe please visit: http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/webdev_listserv.html The Web Design Reference Site also has a RSS 2.0 feed for site updates. + TEXT EMAIL NEWSLETTER (TEN). As a navigation aid for screen readers we do our best to conform to the accessible Text Email Newsletter (TEN) guidelines. Please let me know if there is anything else we can do to make navigation easier. For TEN guideline information please visit: http://www.headstar.com/ten + SIGN OFF. Until next time, Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN U.S.A. 55812-3009 mailto:lcarlson@d.umn.edu [Issue ends.]